Island of California

The Island of California was a mythological island in Spanish and Latin American folklore. It was invented in the 1510 romance novel Las Sergas de Esplandian, in which it was described as an island on the right hand of the Indies which was peopled by black women who lived in the style of the Amazons. In 1533, Fortun Ximenez discovered the southern portion of Baja California and misidentified the peninsula as the legendary island. In 1539, Francisco de Ulloa reached the mouth of the Colorado River at the head of the gulf, proving that the "island" was, in fact, a peninsula. However, the island reappeared on a 1622 map, and the myth was perpetuated until 1776.